These are the responses from Jim Carpenter, city commission candidate, to the Journal-World’s candidate survey.

1. Name: Jim Carpenter

2. Occupation:Attorney, sole-practitioner with cases in Wyandotte, Douglas, Leavenworth and Johnson Counties

3. Date of Birth: 3/18/1961

4. Years in Lawrence: 12

5. Family: married, two daughters, and three grandchildren

6. Religious Affiliation:

7. . Previous Political Experience: Neighborhood advocate before City, County and Planning Commissions, 1995-present; Active member of Barker Neighborhood Association, 1994-present; BNA President, 2000-2001; BNA representative to Lawrence Association of Neighborhoods, 2001-present.

8. In July, a ban on smoking in most indoor public places was implemented by the city. Do you support the ban, and why or why not? I support the smoking ban as it is written for public health reasons and will take no action to modify it. However, we can learn from how the smoking ban issue was decided and implemented. Even by following accepted procedures with task force meetings and city commission meetings where the public could comment, many felt left out of the process. We should review existing procedures and modify them to prevent this feeling in the future, for example, by holding town-hall style meetings and assessing ways to minimize impacts on local businesses while still adopting the wider policy goal.

9. What’s your opinion on how the city has managed and planned for growth during the past five years? The city has taken many positive steps in this direction. The new zoning code, the hiring of an area planner, progress with the south east area plan, and a greater concern for the wider impact on the city of any newly proposed development are all evidence of this.

10. The city has begun a study to determine the fiscal impacts of growth on the city’s taxpayers. Do you believe that residential growth pays for itself or costs existing taxpayers additional dollars? If you believe it does not pay for itself, how would you address that issue? Most communities that have conducted similar studies have found that residential growth does not pay for itself. There is evidence of that in Lawrence right now in , for example, bills for sewer services. Lawrence property owners are being billed for the future construction of a new sewage treatment plant to service development that has not yet begun as well as to pay for our existing plant. The city needs to explore options to have new development pay for the increased cost of infrastructure that it generates. In effect, new development must buy into the partnership already existing for the rest of the property owners in Lawrence and share the costs already assigned the rest of us.

11. City officials have begun using roundabouts and traffic circles as traffic calming control devices on some Lawrence streets. Do you believe the devices are effective and a good use of city funds? Each intersection must be viewed individually. Roundabouts or traffic calming devices that will work in one location might be inappropriate in another. Retrofitting existing intersections will always cost more than construction in a new area, but this should not rule out the use of a particular traffic-calming device. When the Barker Neighborhood was presented with the option of either a roundabout or a traffic light with left turn lanes in all four directions, the neighbors opted for a roundabout because it would take less property from the homeowners and preserve the laundromat. Overall, the results have been positive. Placement of new roundabouts requires a careful analysis of the traffic and pedestrian use of the intersection, safety issues, a comparison to the cost of widening the street and increasing lanes with lights, impact on surrounding intersections and properties, and available city funding to make a proper decision.

12. City commissioners have authorized officials with the Lawrence Public Library to explore the possible construction of a new multimillion dollar library in downtown, or the expansion of the current facility at 707 Vt. Do you support moving forward with the project? I strongly support moving forward with this project. Based on library use patterns, especially during the summer months, the current location is highly desirable. Whether the current building can be expanded safely, in a cost-effective manner, or replaced has not yet been determined. The current study will identify all of these factors. Then begins the process of deciding what the new facility will be and what funds are available to pay for it. We should remain open to creative partnerships with other agencies and/or governmental units when exploring the final design and payment options for our new library facility.

13. The city’s task force on homeless services is currently drafting a report for a community wide strategy of providing services to the homeless. What’s your philosophy on whether or how the city should provide services to the homeless? How we as a community respond to the needs of the least fortunate among us is a true reflection of who we are. The draft recommendations of the Task Force provide a valuable starting point for coordinating and allocating services to homeless people. It recognizes the various ways that individuals become homeless which should lead us to flexibility in meeting various needs. City budgeting priorities will of course have an impact on what final recommendations are adopted. Most will agree, however, that funding to reopen the inpatient mental health facilities at Lawrence Memorial Hospital ought to be a very high priority and the next City Commission must take all steps possible to fund this much needed community service.

14. Specifically on the homeless, do you support an idea that has been introduced by a task force of Downtown Lawrence Inc. that would require homeless individuals to show a city issued I.D./service card before receiving certain services, such as food and shelter? No. The Task Force on Homeless Services formed a subcommittee to explore this very idea and rejected it based on its overly punitive nature. Agencies serving the needs of the homeless and other disadvantaged individuals already have behavioral guidelines. If individuals, whether homeless or not, are violating the law, they should be dealt with accordingly. Denial of food or shelter will not make the problem go away, in fact, it could have just the opposite effect.

15. Do you believe Lawrence has an affordable housing problem, and if so, how would you address it? All housing in Lawrence is affordable to someone. What we lack are homes affordable to those with low and middle incomes. While housing prices continue to rise in Lawrence, wages do not. Simply building more houses will not solve this problem. There is always someone willing to pay for the higher priced, more profitable house. To alleviate this problem, the city must take action. Other communities have responded with grant or loan programs and, multi-use zoning districts to distribute the cost of constructing lower income housing among higher income housing, We need to take a serious look at these and other possibilities when determining the best course for Lawrence to follow.

16. Please comment on your fiscal philosophy and whether you would envision the need to raise taxes during your term on the city commission. I don’t enjoy paying taxes any more than my neighbor does. I also don’t want to cut necessary or vital services provided by the city to its citizens. Governments role is to serve the multiple needs of the community as defined by its citizens. Taxes should never be raised except for very clearly defined and supported goals. Streamlining and eliminating duplicate city services can only take us so far. The real challenge is to grow local based businesses, or to attract outside businesses to Lawrence that fit into our community vision of Lawrence, businesses that will bring outside money into Lawrence and keep it here. Better long-range planning that makes more efficient use of the existing infrastructure can also help prevent the need to increase individual property taxes.

17. The city currently offers a fixed route public transportation system. Do you believe the system, the T, has been successful and is an effective use of city funds? Public transportation is vital to any city to reduce dependence on individual automobiles, traffic congestion and pollution. The T has shown increased ridership throughout its existence and is on its way to being a successful system. Coordinating routes with the KU bus system, being open to changing existing routes for the T, and finding methods to increase ridership will ensure the future success of the T. I would like to explore an example I observed in Gainesville, Florida, where a K through 12 student ID served as a free bus pass. This could have a long-term impact assuring future paying riders who understand the value and usefulness of mass transport.

18. The city currently operates a municipal golf course, Eagle Bend, which has been operating at a loss during the last several years. Do you believe the golf course is an effective use of city funds. I have doubts about the golf course. I am not sure that enough people use it to justify the ongoing expense. It does not contribute to any other public goal such as pollution reduction, but in facts contributes to our environmental problems through the use of increased herbicides, pesticides and water use. I would be willing to consider privatization of the golf course to free up park funds for the purchase of additional greenspace throughout the city

19. The city currently is involved in litigation to stop Walmart from building a new store at the corner of Sixth street and Wakarusa Drive. Do you believe that corner is appropriate for a big box retail development such as Walmart has proposed? Numerous studies and experiences have shown that big-box stores drive out local businesses that contribute to the health and character of a community. Most can remember the loss of several local bookstores when the first big-box bookseller came to town. Horizon 2020 suggests a method to measure the impact of new retail development on existing development. Prior commissions have ignored this economic impact approach suggested by the citizens of Lawrence who worked on Horizon 2020. I would work to make this economic impact analysis part of our planning process. In this way we may be able to prevent further problems such as that currently existing at 6th and Wakarusa.

20. The city currently has a ban that prohibits the use of most fireworks within the city limits during the Fourth of July holiday. Do you support the fireworks ban? I did not support the enactment of the fireworks ban. I’ve personally enjoyed setting off fireworks from a young age. However, this issue was decided after due deliberation by a prior Commission and passed for reasons of public safety. Absent evidence that the community has suffered some large harm from this ban, or a substantial citizen demand to revisit the issue, I would be hard-pressed to find reason to modify or overturn it, even if I would like to shoot off fireworks in my own yard on the Fourth of July

21. What’s your position on whether and where the South Lawrence Trafficway project should be completed? Transportation 2025 shows three possible routes for the SLT, two through the wetlands and one south of the Wakarusa River. Destroying the existing wetlands should never have been an option. Projected traffic demands from a completed four lane Highway 59 and future traffic on K-10 will make a bypass desirable on the southeastern part of town to prevent increased traffic through our city’s neighborhoods. When and where this road is finally completed will depend on available funding sources, how it fits with regional transportation needs, and finding a route that will cause the least amount of environmental damage.

22. If elected, what would be the top three issues you would seek to address during your term? a. Bringing city codes in line with the provisions of Horizon 2020 including the adoption of the recommendation to conduct economic impact studies of newly proposed commercial development on existing local businesses.
b. Protecting and strengthening existing neighborhoods and assuring that as we construct new homes we are building neighborhoods and not houses.
c. Regional, long-term planning cooperation between the city, county, school districts and surrounding communities to insure that Lawrence and Douglas County remain a desirable place to live.